Salvation Dossier
I have created this briefing document to establish a good base level of information that the Rangers and Seekers might work with pertaining to the apparent cold war with agents of Salvation. As someone who was previously one of their Chosen operatives, it is my hope that this information helps in recovering goods, personnel and further intel on the situation, as well as hopefully neutralising their operations at some stage. - Ella (Songbird) Salvation, the entity There is a level of uncertainty and rumour surrounding who Salvation actually is. Some believe they are a council of some sort, some believe a single entity. A popular theory is that it has always been the same person, augmented beyond recognition in order to survive since her Arrival. Most who believe they are a single entity believe they are female in their presentation. I have personally experienced Salvation as a feminine figure, occasionally going by Elsie. She would often swear that the protection of humanity was her number one priority, and the purpose of the Chosen. Salvation is, throughout Paradise, recognised as the one who led the Beloved underground and protected them during what I have learned surface dwellers refer to as The Incident. There is some reason to believe that Salvation may be a Sentinel A.I., similar to Cora of the Triway Peak facility. Please speak to Investigator Cooper regarding this, as he is much more researched in this area. Paradise, and Salvation, the movement Paradise is an underground facility, located in the general area of the northwestern desert on a geothermal vent. It is protected by several security measures that prevent any unexpected intrusions, including but not limited to a laser grid system and several automated identification systems which are responsible for the activation of other measures. Approaching the area in any aircraft, or equipped with any augmentations or radio technologies is currently ill advised, unless you are identifiable as Chosen or Beloved, or unless Ranger and / or Seeker groups obtain or develop some more advanced stealth tech than Paradise has access to. The bunker itself is one of the old military bunkers with far advanced technology. The atmosphere inside is regulated such that humans may survive without immunoboosts within, and residents are well taken care of. There are hydroponic facilities for growing food, and a number of physical exercise and training facilities. There are some quite advanced medical facilities with the technology to build and install new augmentations, as well as some VR facilities. Most services are fully automated. The community itself is quite closely knit. Most occupy at least some of their time assisting with the upkeep of the facility in some way, and outside of this the community is actually quite happy. Those who live in Paradise largely believe it is the best possible place to live, as it has everything you could think of in terms of physical needs and wants, and everyone looks after each other, including the consideration of child-rearing as a communal responsibility. Most members of the community have no need for surnames - I’m not sure entirely why, but they seem to have mostly died out in generations before me. Salvation (the entity) is to an extent worshipped, and looked up to as almost some sort of deity. Chosen Resupply Points The Chosen maintain a network of resupply points for operatives working in the field. Generally, they are kept well stocked with immunoboosts, first aid supplies and rations, as well as being safe places for operatives to rest when injured. All have some basic security measures, however they all also have a console that can be used to report directly to Salvation and other Paradise-based Chosen which can be networked with some augmentations, so sending people who’re using repurposed Salvation augs isn’t a great idea. I can give exact locations for two such resupply points. Augmented Chosen (Note: most of them) are connected to Salvation’s security systems while nearby (Note: I’m not augmented, I have no idea exactly how close ‘nearby’ is in this case) ''these supply points, which gives them access to deflector shields and other such things. If any Chosen operatives are sighted near a supply point, do not approach, return when abandoned. '''The Laws of Paradise' Note: the term Beloved is used to refer to those humans and extremely rare wastelanders permitted to enter Paradise. In effect, all citizens are considered Beloved. Beloved do not go on missions outside Paradise, and in fact remain inside the bunker. * The children of Beloved are Beloved * Any who pass through the gates of Paradise are Beloved (Note: doing so without clearance / an escort of some sort is exceptionally difficult and requires the deactivation or circumvention of several dangerous security measures) ' * Cause no harm to yourself or others (Note: This includes the use of alcohol and / or recreational drugs) ' * Do not hoard resources * Obey Salvation and the Chosen * Do not leave Paradise * Do not have children with the nanite infested or attempt to become infested yourself The Laws of the Chosen Note: the term Chosen is used to refer to field operatives, and those who take on security positions within Paradise. These are the trusted agents of Salvation themselves. * The children of Chosen are Chosen * Minimise harm to those who can be brought to Salvation * Maintain the security and safety of Paradise * Do not advance the technological capabilities of outsiders * Protect your fellow Chosen * Recover those who leave Paradise and their children * Do not attempt recovery of those who are pregnant or children under 4 years of age (Note: This law has been circumvented due to extenuating circumstances usually relating to imminent danger to the individual(s) in question) Concerning NASA and the Lighthouse Operation'' Quite recently, Salvation made a strike against NASA, taking supplies, weaponry, and personnel from their base. The list of what was taken is as follows: * 96 personnel (Note: there were a further 12 unaccounted for, and thus not taken - I can count 11 of those whom I personally can account ''for, currently. ''To the best of my knowledge, none of these 12 people have been taken by Salvation, though some have since perished in the ruins of Lobetful.) ' * 6 drop ships * A total of 24 exoskeletons (12 warfare-rated, 12 utility rated) * 6 tiltjets, which were at the time only partially constructed * 200 smartguns of various types * 22 utility robots * 500 armoured uniforms * 110 bulletproof vests of Earth design (Note: these have since been incorporated into part of standard Chosen kit - most active Chosen operatives encountered will likely be wearing one, unless their purpose is to infiltrate and gather intelligence). Further to this point, it is to the best of my knowledge that Salvation were also responsible for the following:' * Attacking the NASA bunker under Drifter’s Inn, killing 7 of of the bunker’s leaders and kidnapping the 30 youngest inhabitants * Furthering this point, since reviewing available information ''on this attack, I can identify Chosen operatives Talon, Osprey, Artemis, Dingo, Jackal, and Taurus (AKA Harry Hammond - details below) as those who undertook this operation. * ''Seeding a spy into the Lighthouse mission. This spy was me - I realise that this statement gives you no reason to trust me, however I have since cut all ties with the Chosen and am attempting to make amends for my actions by working with the Rangers as one of their order. I’m not going back. Please take this written statement as my word on the matter. '''Concerning Other Chosen Operations 'In recent weeks I have been made aware of some of the finer details of some of the operations undertaken by other Chosen operatives, while I still worked for their number. Most of these were only discussed with me briefly, however this is what I have put together of some of these operations since speaking with some of the wastelander population here on the surface. DISCLAIMER: I realise now that any ‘recovery’ missions were kidnappings, and those that were taken (or who perished) as a result of any such missions likely left family and friends behind who grieve for them. I don’t expect any of my explanations to excuse this, as I’m growing to understand how unpleasant these operations actually were, however these descriptions are written to provide clarification. * 3 years and 7 months ago, Salvation was responsible for the capture of Flight Officer Harrison Hammond and Corporal Jak Dallas, and stealing the tiltjet Hammond was piloting at the time (henceforth listed as the Aquila). When the Aquila stalled over Lobetful and crashed into a zed horde, Hammond and Dallas were recovered, and the other 3 Rangers aboard were left to their fates. Some weeks later, Salvation operatives salvaged the Aquila. According to what knowledge I have, of the 3 Rangers left aboard the craft, Private Riley Hastings was the only survivor. * 3 years ago, Hammond (at this point, known among Chosen as Taurus) took part in a recovery operation in Mindoraan, to recover a human known as Leone Milan. This was one of his first missions since having been captured by Salvation operatives - Leone was human, and as such a person of interest to Salvation. * A man named James Derry ran a smuggling ring that, among other things, would find and trade in unique people, including humans, often resorting to violence in order to obtain the individuals he wished to use for trade. 2 years ago, he and 11 of his cohort were found dead - though I have only heard of this being attributed to Salvation since joining the Ranger cohort, this tracks with the ideals of Salvation, as this smuggling ring was responsible for harming a number of human individuals, and it was in their best interest that he be taken down. 6 months ago, a woman named Phuong Hanoi was found dead in her hut from 3 gunshot wounds to the back of her skull, and her wife has since been declared missing. Apparently her wife was a human woman (Mrs. Hanoi would often be sighted in Karnaak purchasing immunoboosts) who didn’t understand local traditions or technologies, and shortly before Mrs. Hanoi’s, death two individuals matching the descriptions of Talon and Hammond arrived in town, enquiring about a ‘lost cousin’, and the woman matching Talon’s description is reported to have destroyed a door when denied entry into an establishment during this period. I can confirm this mission to be the work of Talon and Hammond - While I was working with them, Talon mentioned a retrieval operation for one of the Beloved named Ophelia, who had left Salvation, gotten married to a wastelander, and told her wife how Salvation operated. The mission was to recover Ophelia and, putting it lightly, ‘stopping the classified information from spreading’. * A few weeks ago, after the takedown of Beacon at the Triway Facility, the bodies of 5 alphas were found and recovered from the mountain. A large number of bodies of zeds and omegas were also found. Prior to my arrival (and later, my defecting from Salvation) at the Triway facility, Osprey noted that a small squad of Chosen would be keeping horde numbers down so that members of the Lighthouse mission could deal the final blow to Beacon. * According to Ranger reports, a small group of cannibalistic wastelanders were also found dead and dismembered in a cave the same day the alpha corpses were discovered, bearing no bullet wounds, though the name ‘Allana’ was inscribed on the wall in their dried blood - something which, unlike the horde management, was not known to me. '''Concerning Active Chosen Operatives Talon, Osprey, Dingo, Jackal, Thunder, Artemis, Ramses, Nightingale, Hound, Blade, Elsie Listed are the operative names for Chosen I know to be working in the field currently. Below, I will provide as much information as I can on how to handle these individuals. Ideally, if encountered, none should be killed, but approach with strong caution - not all are trained to kill, and none will kill a human, though they’re generally trained to be able to. * Talon - Threat level: HIGH - Tall woman, extremely heavily augmented, has claws that could put a meat mincer to shame. Highly capable in combat situations, ruthless fighter. Recommend deactivating / removing augments where possible, and approaching only as an utmost last resort otherwise. * Osprey - Threat level: MEDIUM - Longer haired man, heavily augmented, usually carries a gun. Primarily a field medic, assists in combat and difficult recovery operations. Highly experienced as a Chosen. He’s my father, so will not hurt me - according to our Atlantean friend, he has some desire to lead a peaceful life, so under the right conditions I may be able to sway him to a better cause. Recommend letting me handle him, or otherwise using Hypnospray on him and delivering him to me so it’s possible for me to handle him if I’m not present at the time. I genuinely want him on side. * Dingo and Jackal - Threat Level: MEDIUM - Siblings, generally sent together on missions where combat backup is expected to be needed, or to eliminate small groups. Jackal’s eyes are both augmented, I’m uncertain about Dingo’s modifications. Dingo signed on as a field operative to explore, and is a bit of a daydreamer off the job - Jackal likely only signed on as a field operative because Dingo did. Strong combatants, though they may be able to be swayed by the right words, now I consider it. * Thunder - Threat Level: LOW - Heavily augmented, but excessively cocky. Painted his augs bright blue. Can see him a mile away, recommend disabling or removing augs where able and if needed but otherwise shouldn’t be too much trouble. Previously an outsider. * Headshot - Threat Level: MEDIUM - I specifically remember her having dark hair. Another previous outsider, favours big heavy guns. Quite stubborn and self-centered, but effective. * Artemis - Threat Level: LOW '''- New to being a field operative, she helped to train myself and Hammond. She’s a capable pilot, generally runs transport from what I was told, and only recently augmented. She’s still uncertain of applying her training outside of a tiltjet, though. Will NOT react well to wastelanders, will likely react well to mine or Hammond’s presence, however, particularly his. * Ramses - '''Threat Level: MEDIUM - Not often present for major combats, he’s a solid tactician, and often leads from a distance on high-priority missions. His combat ability isn’t fantastic, but if he’s working with a group and is networking with them, he can be trouble. * Nightingale - Threat Level: HIGH - My cousin, and another infiltration and intelligence specialist. Likely not much of a problem if she attempts to infiltrate where I’ll recognise her, but if she successfully enters another group, there will be problems. Unlike myself, if she has to fight she favours long range weapons. We haven’t spoken in some time, so I’m not sure how responsive she’ll be to negotiations, but it may be worth attempting if she’s detected early. * Hound - Threat Level: HIGH - Recovery expert. Related to Dingo and Jackal somehow, though I’m not sure exactly how, he’s about Osprey’s age. He’s taken lots of people, both average humans and Beloved / Chosen defects alike. Tread with extreme caution. * Blade - Threat Level: LOW - My age, reasonably newly augmented, was always a little bit of a Talon wannabe but has the disposition of a puppy. Fights well, but usually only tags along as backup from what I’ve heard. * Elsie - Threat Level: JUST DON’T - Literally Salvation. Might have multiple bodies. Concerning MIA Chosen Operatives Cypress, Hades, Taurus, Ares (Presumed Dead), Songbird, Pine (Presumed Dead) I have included myself in this list, as I have kept myself masked outside the protection of the Triway facility, and thus the other Chosen likely consider me as a target for re-acquisition. I should not like for this to be the case, though it is a possibility. Once again, approach with strong caution, as we know not how they will react to Ranger / Seeker presence, though many of these agents have been missing for quite some time. There is a possibility that they may be swayed to our side by this stage, so once again, do not kill them. Shorter descriptions here than above. * Cypress - She’s 28, the careful type, but didn’t come back from a mission about three-ish years ago, just before I was deployed. Please leave handling her to me. Trust me on this one. * Hades - Older. Been missing about 5 years. Maybe late 30s. From what I heard, he was a hell of a brawler. * Taurus - GUESS WHO IT IS. He probably won’t trust us too much from the get-go, and might not trust me at all. Maybe look to Cooper or Patty for assists here. Hopefully we can get him back to his family. * Ares - Artemis’s dad, 50-ish. Disappeared in New Yuvon somewhere, vitals all pretty much flatlined before the signal was lost apparently, only considered MIA because his body wasn’t recovered. If we do find him alive and can get him on side, we can probably convince Artemis to join us. ' * Songbird - Me. One of few unaugmented field operatives. Great survivalist. Sneaky. Probably a good ticket to getting Chosen to trust you guys - they know I’m careful, if they think I ran away from you guys they should think I’m still on side. I’m hiding all of my identifying features whenever I’m outside in the hopes I can keep it that way. If needed, I may be able to travel to one of the resupply points, leave messages for the Chosen to find, stating I’m fine and that I’ve retreated to give more careful watch, though I understand that you would need to place a lot of faith in me for that to happen. I promise - you can, I won’t reveal anything sensitive, in fact, most of my reports were on paper, so I can misdirect if needed. But, I get it if you don’t want me to. I wouldn’t want me to, either. Disclaimer on that further down. * Pine - I haven’t personally heard any MIA reports for Pine, but I treated his wounds a couple of months ago, and then when next I saw any sign of him, someone else was carrying his spear, said they found it. I know for a fact he wouldn’t part with that thing unless he was killed, so that’s what I’m going with. Concerning Long-Term Operatives I am aware that there were three or so operatives in particular that were on long-term espionage missions. I couldn’t tell you at all what they look like, other than make vague assumptions based on their operative names (they all shipped out when I was a kid), but they have each been in the field for longer than a consecutive decade each, now. None have been declared MIA, either, so we must assume they are still loyal to Salvation and what that stands for. Should anyone react to the names Copperhead, Sidewinder ''or ''Magnolia if you bring it up, detain them on sight, and deactivate or remove any augmentations they have, if able. They will likely have been reporting for some time on Ranger / Seeker activities, and I won’t be able to tell you how long for. And, on the off chance any of those long-haul Chosen are reading this: You know what you’re doing. Do you know why? I sure didn’t. On Trust Apologies for switching from a more formal tone to one that’s more casual and candid - I’m tired, and this needs to be said while I’m here. I realise that, as someone who used to run espionage for the enemy, my working for you guys might be something that’s a little hard to believe. Speaking to several people here throughout my time among you, however, showed me how much better the people up here are to each other, for the most part. Salvation was ruining lives for people up here. They still sort of are. So many of you have been affected negatively by the actions of my former home, possibly even in connection to reports I made. I don’t want that to happen any more. We’re all people. I’ve made friends - proper friendships - with so many people I wouldn’t have imagined before coming up here. I don’t want to lie to anyone. I just want a second chance. Regardless of what you think of me, I provide this information freely, as it’s the right thing to do by everyone. I’ve caused enough grief. There’ll come a time, eventually, when I’ll renounce my former organisation to their face. I’m not brave enough to take their reactions, yet, nor am I confident enough that they won’t respond poorly and hurt you guys. But when the conditions are better, you have my word, here on paper. Category:Handouts